Charlie Bone and the Conspiracy
by yuesunsx
Summary: The scheming Bloors have been quiet for a while now. However, all is revealed when Gabriel Silk is mysteriously kidnapped. Charlie is soon faced with a difficult choice-give up his wand, or Gabriel's freedom.
1. The Conspiracy is Hatched

**Chapter 1: The Conspiracy is Hatched**

Manfred Bloor was silent. He was seated in front of his grandfather, Ezekiel Bloor amidst dozens and dozens of teachers and students. Ezekiel Bloor himself was perched in the middle of the room, his frail form hunched over and wrapped in all sorts of quilts, thick, thin, and colorful. His eyes bulged from his ancient skull of a face as he surveyed the room. "Everyone is here, then," he rasped, irritably.

Dr. Bloor eyed his father nervously. "Nearly, father," he replied, clasping his hands in front of him. "I think we're still waiting for Ms. Chrystal and Lord Grimwald." Ezekiel's face distorted into an ugly, impatient grimace. He wished he could walk, so that he could chase down those fools who dared to be late for his meeting. But he was confined to a wheelchair, and it was all thanks to that wretched Lyell Bone. His attention was recaptured when he heard the massive doors fly open, and through them breezed two familiar characters.

"Sorry we're so late, Ezekiel," mused Ms. Chrystal lightly, "but we're here now and I say we ought to get this meeting on with." Lord Grimwald, meanwhile, made no move to justify himself.

Ezekiel Bloor grunted his acceptance. "Alright," he began thickly, "I'm sure you all know what this meeting is about." A collective _mhmm _of agreement rose from the crowd. Ezekiel gave a throaty chuckle. "Then you know that Charlie Bone and his wretched friends have been causing more trouble. They recently succeeded in the rescue of Asa Pike." Ezekiel saw glares sweep across the crowd simultaneously. He smiled, a dark, twisted smile. "And who can we credit for their success?" he roared, his bony fist sailing into the air. "What wretched force sealed those brats' success?" The crowd's faces went blank. Ezekiel groaned. "It was his _wand!_" he thundered. "It guided him. And I say if we want to win, it needs to be in our control."

"But Ezekiel, darling," cooed Aunt Lucretia, "he clings to it like glue does to paper. We'll never be able to convince him to part with it."

Ezekiel pounded a clenched fist into an open palm. "I've been thinking we ought to convince him with something stronger than just words. Are there any ideas?"

A dumb silence descended upon the room. Faces creased with thought, or went blank with stupidity, or remained emotionlessly blank.

It was Aunt Venetia's voice that pierced the stupefied atmosphere. "Perhaps we could use one of his friends as an argument," she suggested, her voice greased with honey and oil.

Ezekiel broke into a smile. "Are you implying that we take a hostage?" he rasped. "Venetia, you clever old coot!"

Aunt Venetia frowned. "Don't call me that," she said. "But yes, that's what I'm saying. We'll blackmail him with one of his friends." She twisted a lock of her dark hair around a finger. "Which one?"

"It doesn't matter," Ezekiel replied. "Although I guess there are some wiser choices than others…" He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "They're all close friends," he spoke at last. "So they'll all have equal value to the wretch, Charlie. I say we go for the easiest target. Who would that be?"

Another pause. Then Manfred spoke up. "The Silk boy," he called. "His endowment will make things easy for us."

Ezekiel smiled. "Perfect….and I think I have a plan."


	2. Execution

**Chapter 2: Execution**

Charlie Bone was running late. It was Monday morning, which meant that he had to wake up early and rush off to the confines of Bloor's Academy. He despised it, for there was no way he could communicate with his family, or for that matter, "the outside world". He was silent during breakfast, a grand feast prepared by Maisie. It was especially unbearable this morning, for this was the beginning of the school year.

"There, love," Maisie crooned as she ran her fingers through his bushy hair, "this should make up for _all _those meals you'll have to eat at Bloor's."

"Thanks, Maisie," Charlie replied. He made quick work of his portion, and sprinted up the street to the bus stop. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his best friend, Fidelio Gunn, rushing up to meet him.

"Hey, Charlie!" called Fidelio, waving frantically. "Talk about being just in time." The blue bus had pulled up the moment of Fidelio's arrival.

"Yeah, great timing, Fido," Charlie agreed as the filed into the bus. Fidelio glanced around. "Billy's not with you?" he asked. Charlie shook his head. "He decided he'd rather stay at the academy this weekend, but who in their right mind…" He trailed off and shrugged his shoulders, implying that Fidelio could draw his own conclusion.

And so they set off for Bloor's.

Charlie and Fidelio met up with Tancred and Lysander as they arrived at Bloor's. "Hey Sander, Tanc," Charlie called. They waved in response.

"What's up, Charlie? Hey, Fido," Tancred responded, running his fingers through his gelled blonde spikes. Next to him, Lysander rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest.

Charlie paused, thoughtfully. "Nothing, actually," he said at last. "Have you noticed? My aunts haven't been scheming, and I haven't caught Manfred or Dagbert out of line since the Asa Pike escapade."

Lysander stepped forth. "You're right," he agreed. "Do you think they've changed, or is something up?" Fidelio chuckled lightly. "Knowing the Bloors, something is definitely up," was his opinion.

Their conversation was interrupted as Gabriel and Olivia, waving fervently, made their way up to the group. "Hey, Charlie," Olivia greeted him breathlessly. "What courses are you taking this year?"

Charlie shrugged carelessly. "Recorder, again," he responded. "Mr. Paltry had a fit, but he was the one who said I could use another year of it." A collective giggle rose from the group. Charlie turned on Gabriel. "How 'bout you, Gabe?"

The features of Gabriel's face sagged. "Piano," he replied. "I wish your father would return from whale-watching, though…they've found another new teacher and you remember the last one…" Everyone shuddered. The most recent substitute had been Tantalus Ebony, or Yorlath Yewbeam in disguise.

"Come on, Gabe," Charlie said, "I think the Bloors are out of shapeshifters by now."

Gabriel shrugged in response as the warning bell rang. "Well," he said, "I'd better go now. I happen to have piano right now." With that, he turned and made his way down the hall.

"Hello?" Gabriel opened the door cautiously. He glanced around the room (it was a strange place to have a room; in the highest tower-a very remote place far, far from the rest of the school). Situated in the middle of the room was a large grand piano, shining radiantly. And seated at the piano was a strange, veiled figure. A woman. She was wrapped in robes and veils and sashes.

"Hello, boy," the figure rasped, raising a bony hand. "Come closer." Gabriel obliged, advancing tentatively. He though it very odd that his new teacher would have such a delicate, swirly sort of hand. It didn't look capable of working the piano keys. As he approached the bench, the figure sprung into action. With surprising strength, the figure grabbed Gabriel's elbow and twisted it behind his back. Before he had the time to react, another hand was clamped fiercely over his mouth. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed too late the deadly red boots. _Aunt Venetia. _Gabriel's mind reeled. He was helpless as he felt a blue cape being clasped around his neck. Aunt Venetia released him, and gasping in a mix of relief and horror, Gabriel's fingers flew to the buttons. He struggled desperately to unfasten them, but even he knew it was too late. Gabriel crumbled to the ground, blinded and immobile.

As he blacked out, he caught fragments of an overhead conversation.

"Great job, Venetia! Should we lock him up the Ruin?"

"Don't be silly, Eustacia…the cape's bewitched, remember? He won't be going anywhere for a long, long time…"


	3. Without a Trace

**Chapter 3: Without a Trace**

Charlie slept his way through his recorder session. Mr. Paltry rebuked him over and over. "You are a bucket that cannot be filled, Charlie," he exclaimed in exasperation. "A bucket with a hole, stupid boy! Have you any talent? The only reason you're here is because…because…well, because you're one of those endowed children; I bet you think yourself pretty hot, eh?" Charlie stood silently against Mr. Paltry's unfaltering assault. "Well, _do _you?" repeated Mr. Paltry crossly.

"Yes, sir," Charlie obliged him meekly. The teacher gave an almost disappointed sort of grunt, as if he had held hope that Charlie might fight back, might resist.

"Well, uh," Mr. Paltry muttered. "I've wasted enough time here today. You may leave. I'm certainly going to." Grumbling indignantly to himself, Mr. Paltry straightened his coat and hat as he plodded out of the classroom.

Charlie made his way down the hall to the main room. All the students in music were to report there, after their more individual lesson. Charlie was among the first dozen in. A dozen more joined him, and then another. Fidelio and Billy entered together, nearly the last. Charlie frowned, thoughtfully. Gabriel was not among the final few to enter. Miss Chrystal was final person through the door. She closed it with great pompous, assuming her position at the head of the room.

"Hey," Charlie whispered. Fidelio and Billy glanced up in near perfect unison. "Have either of you seen Gabe?" Two heads shook regretfully. Charlie felt a twinge of panic. He raised his hand, tentatively.

"Yes, Charlie?" The features of Miss Chrystal's face hardened.

Charlie recoiled from an unseen blow. Ms. Chrystal was the last person he would have suspected of siding with the Bloors, yet her releasing the shadow was still fresh in his mind. And her stealing the Mirror of Amoret.

Still, he swallowed and pushed on. "Is everyone here, Ms. Chrystal?"

Ms. Chrystal's eyes seemed to be especially bright today. "Oh, yes, Charlie," she said, a hint of menace mingled in the sweetness of her voice, "everyone's here, that _should _be here."

Charlie's insides went cold. He sang even worse than he would normally, earning him the scorn of all teachers present. But in his panic he was oblivious to it. As soon as class ended, Charlie rushed to meet with Fidelio and Billy.

"Have any of you seen Gabriel, since this morning?" he demanded of them, frantically.

"No, sorry," Fidelio apologized, "And as a matter of fact, _I _haven't seen him all day."

Billy Raven nodded in meek agreement. "Sorry," he whispered, wringing his pale hands in front of him. "But," he added timidly, "why is this so important?"

Charlie shrugged. "There's another new piano teacher, remember?" he said. "And we don't know who he is, or where's he's from, or most importantly, whose side he's on."

Fidelio smiled, amused. "Charlie," he said, gently, "I think you might be overreacting. If you don't see him for the rest of the day, then maybe something's up, but for now, let it rest, man!" Charlie gave a resigned sigh and forced a smile. "Alright, Fido," he relented, "you've never been wrong before."

Still, as the rest of the day rolled by, Charlie grew increasingly uncomfortable. His discomfort swelled during lunch, when Gabriel, wherever he was, made no attempt to sit with him. Charlie forced the gnawing apprehension away and continued eating. The atmosphere was tense. Fidelio and Billy were both silent; Billy, out of timidity, and Fidelio, out of concern for Charlie. And Charlie-Charlie out of concern for Gabriel.

--

There was an empty spot in the king's room that night. It was most uncanny. Lysander, who had been appointed head of the room at one point, had been demoted earlier that day. Manfred had reassumed the role. Charlie couldn't help but feel extremely disappointed.

"Manfred, sir," he spoke up, rather boldly, "Where's Gabriel?" He met the head boy squarely, unwaveringly in the eye. The atmosphere tensed. Curious pairs of eyes witnessed Charlie's rebellious stand.

Manfred's eyes narrowed. "You mean you don't know, Bone?" he asked, smirking. A collective giggle rose from the table. Charlie gazed around. He noticed five pairs of eyes-six, including Manfred's-gazing at him through angry, glittering slits. _They knew something_. Charlie's breath stuck in his throat, which felt as dry and sticky as clay.

"Uh-uh…u-uh…" Charlie stuttered, struggling to swallow.

Manfred smiled, coolly. "Well, Charlie, you'll know soon enough, believe me." Turning from view, a cold smile tugged at his lips. "But you'll wish you didn't." A wave of dizziness washed over Charlie as those last, barely-audible words registered.

--

"Alright, what's going on?" demanded Tancred, grabbing Charlie as soon as they were dismissed.

Charlie quickly explained his concern over Gabriel's long absence. Four faces whitened in horror as he did.

Emma frowned. "I would say we're overreacting, but we all heard Manfred, didn't we?"

"What do you think happened?" Charlie asked, a hint of desperation in his voice. Lysander glanced over his shoulder . "Well," he said, " for now, the most we can do is hope that Gabriel turns up tomorrow morning. We've got to get going if we want to make curfew."

Reluctantly, the group dispelled, each person endlessly worried. But Charlie was the most worried of all. It was appropriate- Gabriel had vanished without a trace.


	4. Awakening

**Chapter 4: Awakening**

Gabriel's eyes were scarcely able to open. His eyelids seemed to be heavy as lead, and his head throbbed with an unendurable pain. "Uhh……" he groaned. Gabriel finally managed to open his eyes. Feeling weak, he surveyed his surroundings. He had been sprawled, on his side, atop a filthy, ragged mattress that rested on a spindly iron bedstead. The bed was situated in a large room, with grimy off-white walls. The floor was compiled of pale, cream colored planks; of course, all heavily coated in dirt.

Gabriel struggled to heave himself up, but to no avail. He gave a mute gasp, recognizing the blue fabric of the bewitched cape still clinging to his neck. Gabriel once again struggled to move, but he had no conscious control of his body. "No…." Gabriel gasped again in realization. He strained to lift an arm, but once again there was no result. The cape had completely immobilized him. He was paralyzed.

_Click. _Gabriel glanced over at the large wooden door. A key was working through the lock, and groaning, it gave way. In stepped a smug looking Manfred. "Hello, Gabriel," he said, his tone light, "how are you enjoying yourself. We figured you might as well be comfortable. You won't be leaving here for a while." He kneeled, bringing his face mere inches away from Gabriel's. "Of course, your friend Charlie is what _really _determines how long you'll be here."

"Why am I here….? What are you going to do with me?" Gabriel asked, tremblingly.

Manfred smiled primly. "Nothing, yet," he replied. "But of course, if Bone doesn't comply to our demands, we might have to be a little more convincing…eh?" Gabriel barely stifled a terrified whimper.

Manfred chuckled, and rose. "I guess I'll see you later, then 'Gabe'", he sneered, exiting and locking the door behind him. Gabriel strained again to lift his head. "Help me," he whispered, to no one in particular.


	5. Searches and Demands

**Chapter 5: Searches and Demands**

Charlie was lying in bed, squares of sickly moonlight shining on his body. He thrashed around, in neat intervals, for about an hour. Next to him he could hear the steady breathing of a sleeping Billy Raven, and a few other boys. But there was another boy, besides himself, that he could tell was still awake; a boy whose breathing came in shallow, uneven sort of hiccups.

Breathing in noisily, Charlie went out on a whim. "Fido?" he whispered, throatily.

"Yeah?" Fidelio turned around to face his friend. "I can see I'm not the only one that can't quite sleep," he added, lightly. Charlie had informed him of Manfred's unspoken threat, and of Gabriel's absence in the King's room.  
Charlie threw himself onto his bed, clutching his pillow to his face. "How can I, Fido?" he whispered fiercely. "What do you think they've done with him? More importantly, how do you think they got him in the first place?"

His question was met by silence.

--

Charlie was not the only person tossing with worry that night. Tancred, although asleep, slept fitfully, his dreams plagued with terrible visions of a suffering Gabriel.

Lysander, in the same room as him, was sitting up in bed, hugging his knees to his chest. He was gazing out the window. The night was so peaceful. You would never suspect that a kidnapping had occurred, and very soon, blackmail. The moon, luminous and green-tinged, hovered peaceably in the sky. Occasional wisps of cloud floated by; and a long, arching tree limb obscured the city.

Lysander's gaze travelled from out the window to the ceiling. "Where are you, Gabe?"

--

Breakfast, as usual, wasn't fit for humans. A lumpy sort of mush, the same color as caramel but not nearly as desirable. "Is this supposed to be oatmeal?" Charlie asked Cook, the sharpness in his voice surprising even him.

"Why, yes it is, Charlie," Cook replied quietly.

"Well, you should do a better job," he snapped. Guilt welled up within Charlie as Cook, her eyes wounded, stood silently against his assault.

Charlie inhaled noisily. Fortunately he was last in line so he could take almost all the time he wanted, without arousing much suspicion. "I'm sorry," he said finally, "I'm just, you know…did you hear about Gabriel?"

Cook nodded grimly. "I found out what happened, as a matter of fact, Charlie…" She trailed off as Dr. Bloor walked past them; deliberately, Charlie thought. "Here's an extra helping, Charlie," Cook said, rather loudly. As soon as she was certain the headmaster was gone, she continued. "The new piano teacher was your Aunt Venetia-I mean, the youngest one. The one that bewitches clothing."

Charlie gaped. "Oh no…" he rasped, paling rapidly.

Cook shook her head. "Yes," she replied, in a resigned sort of way. "They have him captive who knows where…the poor boy. You'd best be on, Charlie." Charlie nodded, and, feeling dazed, went to join his friends.

"What happened with Cook?" Fidelio asked Charlie in a hushed, urgent whisper.

Charlie replied in an equally low tone. "The new piano teacher was a trap. My Aunt Venetia…they got him."

Fidelio's cheeks reddened, his eyes clouding with an emotion Charlie couldn't quite read. "This is not good," he murmured. "You know they'll use him, right? For something…something, you know." Charlie glanced away and nodded, distractedly.

"But what can I do?" he asked, helplessly. "I don't know what kind of health he's in, where he's been taken, if they're torturing him…if he's even conscious!" Charlie's last words were in a raised, despairing tone.

Fidelio took his hand. "It'll be okay. Everything always ends up okay." But even confident Fidelio sounded somewhat unsure of himself.

--

That night, Charlie was awakened, his shoulders being shaken violently. "Hey, Bone," Dagbert Endless sneered. "Follow me. If you want to know where your friend is." Charlie bolted up.

The moonlight radiant on his hardened features, Charlie hissed, "Where…is…Gabriel?" Dagbert's only response was a half smile, shallow on his pale green face.

--

Charlie shivered, half out of fear and half out of the cold, as he followed Dagbert to the outskirts of the ruin. He wasn't completely surprised when he saw Manfred and Joshua already there, Joshua smiling patronizingly up at Manfred.

"What do you want?" Charlie spat, determined to be as difficult as possible. This seemed to amuse Manfred, who smiled, folding his arms across his chest.

"Charlie, don't be like that. Tonight, it's all about what _you _want. Or what _you _decide." His smile darkened into a superior sort of smirk. "The thing is, Bone, as you probably know, your friend Gabriel is now in the Bloors' custody. And we can do whatever we want with him." He paused to stroke his chin in exaggerated thoughtfulness. "But of course, you can have some say in his fate, now can't you?"

Manfred whirled around, his beady eyes boring into Charlie's gaze. He shivered, trying desperate not to show any signs of fear. Something told him he wasn't doing such a good job; maybe it was how everything through his eyes seemed to be trembling.

"Give us your wand." Manfred's statement was simple, but his tone was intense. As Charlie opened his mouth to protest, Manfred cut him off. "It's your choice, Bone," he continued smugly, "You do have the option of saying no…but Gabriel will suffer for it."

Charlie was silent. He stood there, agape, unsure of what to do. So, this was how it was going to be: Gabriel's fate his burden and his burden alone.


	6. Decisions

**Chapter 6: Decisions**

Hours, maybe days had passed. It was all the same to Gabriel. He lay on the bed, closing his eyes from time to time. It was night, now, he could tell. The room was dark; except for a few squares of silvery moonlight that brightened the dirt floor.

Gabriel felt so helpless lying there, knowing that his being in the Bloors' custody probably meant something horrible for Charlie and the others. But what could he do? He was starving, and his parched throat could no longer be subdued by swallowing.

--

Charlie and his friends were gathered in the plaza, out after lunch. Charlie was filling the others in on the Bloors' plan, and their demands.

Lysander pressed his lips together grimly. "So that explains everything, then," he murmured. "If we had only listened to Gabe earlier…gosh, I wonder how he is."

Olivia turned away, her eyes bright, and her voice pinched and painful. "I would really rather not think about that now, thank you very much." She faltered, glancing sharply up at the sky.

Tancred's eyes narrowed into two glittering slits. "I'd like to pummel them," he expressed threateningly. No one replied; no one reprimanded his wishes.

Emma intoned, in her quiet way, "What we need is a plan; not violent wishes." She turned to Charlie. "Anything, Charlie?" she prodded him hopefully.

Charlie closed his eyes and looked away. There was a long, awkward pause. Finally he spoke. "I think…" he began, slowly; thoughtfully; "that we should wait. If I don't do anything, they'll be sure to let him get in touch with us. You know, just to scare me…and everyone else. Then we can try to track him down based on any information we can get."

Emma looked at Charlie severely. "I guess it's our only hope. No matter how risky it is." The look in her eyes made her negative sentiments obvious.

--

So they waited. And waited.

Every evening in the King's room the atmosphere was awful. The air seemed to churn (Tancred's storms were a huge contribution); and hostility hung thickly.

But finally the day came. Charlie rose from his seat and turned to leave. Suddenly a hand gripped his shoulder fiercely, yanking him around. Charlie found himself inches from Manfred pale, hollow face.

"Bone," the boy snarled, his foul breath thick and heavy in Charlie's nostrils, "you know, my grandfather and I are waiting. For your _wand." _He pressed a finger to his cheek and gripped one of his elbows with his free hand. "Unless, of course," he intoned, with exaggerated unawareness, "You chose to leave Gabriel with _us_." He looked at Charlie emphatically, who turned away, deliberately avoiding his gaze.

Charlie swallowed. He needed to bait Manfred. Summoning all his courage and daring, he said, challengingly, "I bet you don't really have him. You're making it up. Prove you're telling the truth." Fear lent him strength, and he clenched his fists so vehemently that his knuckles went white and the veins winding down his wrists bulged from his skin.

Manfred took a step backwards, clearly receiving the message Charlie was trying so hard to broadcast. Realizing his error, Manfred's face contorted into a dark glare and he took two steps forth. "Fine then. I'll make sure the Silk boy gives you a call today…at around…hmm...four. Sharp." He glared at Charlie a final time, then grasped his shoulders and shoved him violently into the doorframe. "Now get out of my sight, you little brat!"

Charlie, trembling uncontrollably, fled the scene, leaving his friends to catch up.


End file.
